Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Treatment

Physical Therapy for CRPS

Serving Portland OR | Vancouver WA

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition involving high levels of neural pain impulses. These pain impulses are intense, and there is no known cause for why pain impulses continue long after healing has occurred. CRPS gets worse with time, and can be very frustrating. Sometimes it occurs with an injury, and sometimes it occurs “out of the blue”. Complex regional pain syndrome commonly affects people who are 20-35 years old, and there is no known cause for CRPS.

Symptoms of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

There are a number of physical symptoms involved with complex regional pain syndrome, including:

• Continuous, intense pain
• Pain that seems out of proportion to injury
• Pain that travels to other parts of the body, even if they were uninjured
• Burning pain
• Swelling and Stiffness in joints
• Motor capability changes
• Hair growth or nail growth changes
• Skin temperature fluctuations

The presence of these symptoms does not mean you have complex regional pain syndrome; this disorder needs to be properly assessed and diagnosed. Although there is no official diagnostic test for CPRS, a thorough assessment of symptoms can help narrow down the condition.

These symptoms will be carefully considered by your doctor and your physical therapist, to determine which exercises you will benefit from, and the intensity of the exercises to follow. And remember: recovery is different for everyone! If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, physical therapy may be able to help.

How Can Physical Therapy Help Complex Regional Pain Syndrome?

New Heights Physical Therapy provides total care, looking at the entire body–from how you experience to any underlying conditions causing pain. We help with recovery and physical improvement on a large scale, seeking comprehensive solutions to heal your physical condition. Depending on your condition or how widespread your pain is, you may have other muscles that have weakened. Physical therapy exercises are used to strengthen those muscles and surrounding tissues, making sure your body can start working in harmony again. We also use muscle manipulation and massage to restore the normal function of muscles and tissues.

Physical Therapy for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

The therapists at New Heights Physical Therapy will work with you and your doctor to create a recovery plan. By studying your muscle movements and leading you through exercises, we can improve muscle condition, strengthen your body, and gently aid in your recovery.

If you’re recovering from an injury, we’ll help you to continually evaluate your pain levels, your rate of healing, and any complications. We’ll move forward together as a team to complete your recovery plan, reassessing as we treat your CRPS to evaluate your progress or any changes. We’ll also work with you on strengthening exercises, to avoid future injuries!

Receive Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Treatment

The physical therapists at New Heights are here for you! We know how important it is for your body to move and feel the best that it can, and we would love to help you recover, reduce pain, and build strength. If you’re curious about physical therapy for CRPS and how it can help, give us a call to schedule an appointment!